Understand the history of salvation

August 11, 2002, Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

	Fr. Richard Ver Bust

We are accustomed to speak of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The difficulty is that sometimes we may think that part of the Bible is old and dated. Through much of history certain people thought the Old Testament was meaningless and superceded by the New Testament. Some writers today are using the term First and Second Testament to overcome that tendency.

Paul in today's second reading helps us understand this problem. He certainly was serious about it. By his three-fold proclamation, "I speak the truth; I do not lie; the Spirit testifies to the witness of my conscience" we appreciate what he is trying to teach. Paul realized that most of his fellow Jews had not and were not accepting Christ. He was deeply troubled by that fact. He knew that in Rome only a few Jews were part of the church. He sought an explanation. Even though his mission, as he perceived it, was to the Gentiles, he did not think that God had abandoned his countrymen.

Paul writes about the anguish and pain that all of this caused him. He was so sincere about this that he said he would be willing to be cut off from Christ if he could change things. In this way Paul reminds us of how Moses in Exodus 32:32 said he would be willing to be "blotted out from the book of life" if God would forgive the Israelites.

Paul uses the word "Israel" to refer to the people rather than the common word of the time, Jews. The word Jews refers to the people in a political and social way. Israel refers to the name God gave to them (Genesis 32:28) and which emphasized the fact that they were God's chosen people. He is convinced that God has blessed them in many ways. He recalls their history in which God made a covenant with them and called them a special people, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. He reminds them of how God's presence came to them in a special way, in the cloud of glory in the desert. God was present to them again in the temple built by Solomon. They received the covenant and, therefore, knew God's law. Unlike their neighbors they worshiped the true God and not idolatrous idols. Throughout their history, therefore, they had known God and God had blessed them. Their ancestors had passed on this faith. For all of this Paul is grateful and reminds the Romans of this fact.

Christ is the climax of salvation history and this is the greatest blessing of all. Unfortunately not many of the people knew this and certainly they did not accept it. This means Christ's own people did not know Christ's true identity and mission. They did not realize that all of the history of salvation led to this. Paul had come to believe this truth and he is heartbroken that others did not.

The final verse of our reading is not exactly clear. People have argued over whether Paul is simply speaking about God when he writes about the blessing or is speaking about Christ as God. Paul certainly believed that Christ was God and he expressed this in this letter and previous letters. Paul certainly helps us appreciate the role of Christ and, in turn, the role of Israel. We can hardly think that the First Testament is no longer valid and God's blessings are no longer with Israel. We should understand how important they were and are in God's plan.

(Fr. Ver Bust holds the title of professor emeritus in religious studies at St. Norbert College, De Pere.)